Pioneers suffer second straight loss

By ROB NUNLEY / Sports Editor for the Southern Standard

Warren County’s Adam Wood shows off his vertical leap, slamming home two of his team-high 18 points during the fourth quarter of Tuesday night’s District 7-AAA basketball game against Cookeville. (Rob Nunley photo)

Warren County’s varsity boys let an early lead slip away Tuesday night, but clawed their way back into their game against Cookeville, only to fall in overtime, 60-56.

WCHS fell to 5-3 with the loss, its second straight in District 7-AAA play, while Cookeville improved to 6-0 overall and upped its league mark to 2-0.

The Pioneers opened Tuesday’s contest with an offensive flourish, scoring the game’s first three baskets including a breakaway dunk by Adam Wood two minutes into the game.

Trailing 8-2, the Cavaliers answered with a 3-pointer by Judah Akers, and slashed the Pioneer lead to 9-7 by the quarter’s end.

CHS opened the second with a 10-2 scoring run, using its pressure defense to force numerous Pioneer turnovers. Warren County righted its ship somewhat late in the period, but trailed at the half by a 25-17 margin.

Warren Swann opened the second half with a 3-pointer, pulling his team within five, but Zac Hennigan scored six of his eventual team-high 18 points in the third, helping the Cavaliers maintain a healthy 37-29 edge.

Warren County pulled itself back into the mix in the final period of regulation, pulling within one when Brooks Majors banked in a 3-pointer with 3:21 to play and taking the lead on a layup and another dunk from Wood. Cookeville’s Matt Hill knotted the score at 52-52 by hitting a pair of free throws with 17 seconds left, and with the final seconds ticking off the clock, Majors drove to the basket and dished the ball off to Shay Glenn, but was called for an offensive foul, giving the ball back to the Cavs and forcing the game into overtime.

CHS held the Pioneers in check during the four-minute extra period, limiting them to just one free throw while scoring eight points of their own. Glenn buried a 3-pointer with two seconds left, but it was too little and too late for the Pioneers as the Cavaliers escaped with the four-point victory.

Wood led the way for WCHS with 18 points, while Majors had a dozen and Swann added 10. Terrin Martin and Glenn chipped in seven each, with Ricky Curtis adding two.

Hill added 17 to Cookeville’s winning tally, with Tyler Wolf posting 10 of his own.

The Pioneers are set to travel to Murfreesboro tonight, for a district matchup against Riverdale.